Tag: networking

Networking has become a very useful tool to get jobs and internships. As stated in my “How to Use LinkedIn As A Networking Tool” post, connecting with recruiters and colleagues is a great way to build your network. Knowing what exactly to write to them is also a crucial part of the networking process.

Hubspot created a step by step framework to increase your chances of success in networking. The five steps are: Research, Warm Up, Connect, Ask, Follow Up.

It is important to note that these steps are designed to “maximize chances of establishing a valuable relationship; it is not designed to mass cold email hundreds of people”. Networking emails should always be personal to the person you are trying to connect with.

First step is to research anything you can about the person you are trying to network with. Finding out where they work, their professional pages and email is just the beginning. Once you connect with them it’s important to find a personal connection with them, maybe something you learned about them from their LinkedIn or the company social media pages. Connecting with them is in my opinion the hardest part of the networking game. You need to make sure you are being personable to them, giving them a reason to want to speak to you. One important thing the Hubspot writers tates is, when trying to create a meaningful connection with them, don’t ask for any favors!

The ask and follow up stages are where you can begin to ask about certain opportunities you are interested in and following up on your conversations is important in order to keep your name fresh in their mind.

The actual structure of the email is a pretty straight forward, below is an example of what a professional email or LinkedIn message for networking can look like.

Hi Jill!

Thank you so much for accepting my invitation on LinkedIn!

Would love to know if we could chat some time about your experience at Revolution Public Relations and any advice you might have for me as a soon to be graduate in the real world. I’m graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations and have been researching the various PR firms to apply to.

I currently intern at SiriusXM in their PR department and am looking at various places to apply for full time positions. Let me know if you would like to speak or grab coffee sometime to discuss.

LinkedIn has become the best networking tool for people who are actively looking for a job or internship. The website is social media networking on a whole other level. Not only can you connect with friends and family professionally, but the website gives you a chance to connect with recruiters for jobs or internships you may be interested in.

First and foremost, LinkedIn should only be used for professional reasons of networking. There seems to be many people who see LinkedIn as another Facebook, although it is formatted in many ways the same, there is a different etiquette that is expected on LinkedIn. You need to have a clean and pristine LinkedIn page to get noticed. It is important to refrain from posting content that is too extreme for a professional setting.

When I first got LinkedIn I was confused as to how it worked but eventually I got the hang of it and you will too. I never saw the day I would hit the coveted 500+ connections mark but I did and so will you! The connections you make on LinkedIn shouldn’t just be treated as part of that number but a nurturing network that will help you score a cool internship or job you really want. Here are some ways you can use LinkedIn as a networking tool:

Connect with fellow classmates, former classmates, professors and anyone in your school network. Many times the quiet person you sat next to in Biology will end up working at a large company and the only way to know might be through LinkedIn! Professors are important for your network because you can go through their network to see if they have any interesting connections you would like to network with in your field.

Connect with colleagues, fellow interns and supervisors! It is important to keep in contact with fellow interns because many times they will end up interning or working at another media company that you will eventually want to work at and they can hook you up with an informational interview. Adding your direct team from your internships is crucial to expanding your network because once you have them on LinkedIn you can ask them to connect you with someone at a company you want to interview at if they have a connection there. Also, staying in contact with supervisors via LinkedIn keeps them up to date with what you are up to after the internship ends and can make it easier to contact them for job favors in the future.

Connect with talent acquisition, internship recruiters and hiring managers. You should take advantage of the fact that LinkedIn can connect you with people who are in charge of giving people jobs. If you see a job at a company, make sure to look up the direct recruiter for that position and connect with them on LinkedIn, but don’t forget to add a note to the invitation specifying who you are and why you are requesting to connect with them. Many times you can also simply begin by telling them you want a simple informational interview with them.

Keep up to date with new jobs! LinkedIn has recently been great about adding a section for job searching. There is now a separate app that sends you notifications for any job you search in your area of interest. For example, if you look up “Account Coordinator” on LinkedIn’s job section, you will get a large list of current Account Coordinator positions in your area and you can request push notifications to be sent to your email and phone whenever any new jobs are posted on LinkedIn. By using this, you can always be on the lookout for jobs without having to individually looking them up on Google or Indeed.

Victoria Saavedra

Victoria Saavedra is a senior at William Paterson University studying Public Relations and Music Management. Saavedra has interned at various small to large companies and agencies such as Tristar Products, BET Networks and SiriusXM.